NEW YORK — Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of priests and clergy from around the nation Saturday that he is praying for a time of healing from the church sexual abuse crisis that has caused "so much suffering."

"I simply wish to assure you, dear priests and religious, of my spiritual closeness as you strive to respond with Christian hope to the continuing challenges that this situation presents," the pope said during Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.

Mel Evans/AP (ENLARGE)

Pope Benedict XVI takes part in ecumenical prayer service at St. Joseph's Church in New York Friday.

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"I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular church and the religious community and a time for healing," he said. "I also encourage you to cooperate with your bishops who continue to work effectively to resolve this issue."

Benedict has made atoning for the abuse scandal a central theme of his first visit to the United States, which has included a trip to Washington and an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday. Before the six-day trip, the pope had only been expected to address the issue once at the St. Patrick's Mass.

Instead, he began speaking of it on the flight from Rome. He has called the crisis a "deep shame" that has been, at times, "badly handled." Benedict has pledged to keep pedophiles out of the priesthood and has said it is more important to have good priests than many priests.

The pope surprised many on Thursday when he met privately and prayed with tearful victims of childhood sexual abuse by priests.

More than 4,000 priests in the U.S. have been accused of molesting minors since 1950. The church has paid out more than $2 billion in abuse-related costs.

Much of that has been since 2002 when the case of a serial molester in Boston drew the national spotlight. After that, many victims came forward.

On Friday, a top Vatican official said the Roman Catholic Church may change its internal laws concerning responses to sexual abuse charges and removing priests.

"It's possible," said Cardinal William Levada, who was archbishop of San Francisco before Benedict brought him to Rome. Levada spoke to reporters at a Time magazine event, the magazine said on its Web site.

Some of the laws concern statutes of limitations on reporting abuse. In some cases, victims do not come forward until years later.

"There are some things under consideration that I'm not able to say," Levada said when asked about changing the laws.

On Saturday, members of the victim's group SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, planned a demonstration near St. Patrick's Cathedral after the mass. The group says it wants reforms "to fix pedophile-friendly laws."

The pope's meeting with victims "gives a green light to Catholics in the United States and around the world to start coming forward and reporting crimes against children," said Peter Isely, a SNAP national board member.

Later Saturday, the pope was to journey up a Manhattan avenue in the Popemobile and then bless disabled students and attend a youth rally north of the city.

On Sunday, the last day of his trip, his schedule includes a visit to Ground Zero, the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, and a Mass at Yankee Stadium.

On Saturday morning, bishops, priests and nuns greeted the pontiff at the Gothic cathedral on Fifth Avenue. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani also were on hand.

The pope, speaking on the third anniversary of his election at pope, told the gathered clergy that "the light of faith can be dimmed by routine, and the splendor of the church obscured by the sins and weaknesses of her members."

"You, who have devoted your lives to bearing witness to the love of Christ and the building up of his body, know from your daily contact with the world around us how tempting it is at times to give way to frustration, disappointment and even pessimism about the future," he said.

He encouraged the clergy to be "beacons of hope" and "work generously and joyfully."

Near the end of his remarks, he said: "The church in America will know a new springtime in the spirit."